BROKEN An Ethina Short Story
by Lil Chrissy
Summary: Kristina has disappeared and Ethan knows who is behind it!  In a cold dark cell, Kristina becomes violently ill.  Why is she sick?  Who is responsible for Kristina's condition? Who took her? Can Ethan find her before it's too late?


**BROKEN**

**An Ethina Short Story**

**By: Lil' Chrissy**

Kristina slowly woke up to the sound of water dripping and as her eyes focused, she remembered what happened. She was leaving Kelly's after her shift and decided to walk through the park on the way to the docks to meet Ethan. He said he wanted to talk. It was a nice summer night, with a full moon so bright, it lit up the usual darkest corners of the park. She was just rounding the swing set when someone grabbed her from behind and covered her nose with a cloth! Though she struggled for several seconds, the chloroform did its job and she fell limp in the kidnappers arms. Now, she was locked in a cell of some sort, obviously in an underground location based on the water and how the stone walls appeared. It was eerily quiet, even with the water dripping and she was a bit unnerved. There was a large drain pipe across the room, about 100 ft in front of her with water slowly spilling into a small pool underneath it.

As she searched for a way out, she rattled the doors to the cell and tried to do it hard enough in case they was rusted, but it was no use. Upon surveying the room, she noticed a small window about 50 feet above her. It was really small, but she thought she might be able to squeeze through it. She was formulating a plan when all of a sudden she heard a chilling chuckle behind her. Slowly she turned to face her kidnapper…it was Anthony Zacharra!

"Well my princess, are you liking the accomodations?", he sneered.

"What do you want with me? Does Johnny know about this? Wait until my father gets a hold of you!", she threatened with fire.

"A little feisty are we? I like it feisty. How are you feeling princess?", he asked.

"I'm fine", Kristina quickly stated and hoped he couldn't see the terror bubbling to the surface.

"We'll just see about that", an evil grin slowly crossed his lips.

"What is that supposed to mean? Where am I anyway? What do you want from me?" Kristina rattled off the river of questions floating in her brain, as she tried to appear strong.

"My, my, my. Full of questions are we? All in good time, all in good time", Anthony calmly assured as if he were her friend. "You know, you're prettier than I imagined. I mean, you were just a little girl when I saw you last and you've grown into a beautiful young lady." He clapped his hands, "Hat's off to Sonny. He does make beautiful children, I'll give him that", he mocked.

Kristina's stomach turned as the old man complimented her with a glimmer of lust in his eyes. She folded her arms on her chest.

"How do you feel?", he asked again.

"What do you care!"

"I understand Dr. Niles has given you some 'herbal supplements', he quoted the air. "I got to hand it to her, I think she's almost crazier than me! I gotta love it though…the irony of it all", he rambled.

"What are you talking about?" Kristina was starting to lose it.

"I tell you, it is refreshing to see a young woman like Dr. Niles, really take control of her 'game'. It was a brilliant move…wish I would have thought of it myself", Anthony chuckled.

"What move? You're delusional!", Kristina threw back.

"I may be delusional princess, but I'm in control now. All hell is about to break loose. Let me ask you something, do you think a highly intelligent doctor such as Dr. Niles would ever be 'interested' in me? I know it's a long shot, but you only live once right?", he heartily laughed.

"Johnny and my father are going to kill you for this! Or is Johnny a part of it?", Kristina felt sure he would never agree to do this.

"Ah yes. My son, the noble Johnny Zacharra. You know, I thought about clueing him in on everything, but then I got to thinking and changed my mind. He's not cut out for this type of thing, he's got too much of a heart…which is his downfall. I always tell him, not to wear his heart on his sleeve because it'll be his undoing, but will he listen to dear ol' dad?"

"Johnny is loyal to his friends, he's nothing like you! What do you want with me?", Kristina strongly demanded attempting to mask her fear.

"I'm gonna give Sonny a taste of his own medicine. I can't wait to see the look on his face, when he realizes I've won. It's gonna be priceless!"

"What do you mean a taste of his own medicine?", Kristina angrily questioned.

Anthony pretended not to hear her and looked at his watch. "Oh my, look at the time! I've got a few preparations to make, but I'll be back in a little bit. Don't miss me too much", he added with a maniacal laugh that echoed throughout the tunnels as if coming from the bowels of hell,

Kristina was slowly realizing the graveness of the situation. Who knew what Anthony Zacharra had planned? She looked at the window again, then noticed a couple of crates stacked in the corner….that was going to be her only way out!

Ethan pounded on the door at the penthouse, furious! "Johnny? Johnny! Open up, it's me!"

A minute later, Johnny opened the door to find Ethan in a panic. "What's going on?"

"What's going on? Are you serious? Kristina is missing and I believe your father has something to do with it", Ethan shouted at him clearly distraught.

"Wait a minute. Calm down. What makes you think that?", Johnny tried to be rational. "When was the last time you saw her?"

"I dropped her off this morning at Kelly's to work her shift and I was supposed to meet her on the docks after work, but she never showed. It's not like her. Then I cut through the park on my way to Kelly's to see if she was there, when I found her purse on the ground near the bushes next to the swings", he handed it to Johnny. "She goes there sometimes to think. I know that your father hates Sonny and is determined to take him down", Ethan explained with a worried expression Johnny had never seen before.

"Why would my father take her though. I was able to thwart his efforts to pull Michael into the organization, but I didn't even know he met Kristina", Johnny tried to quell Ethan's fears.

"That sick f*** actually said something to Michael on the docks the other day- that his real plan was going to affect Sonny more than anything he could have imagined. What better way to get to Sonny than by taking his only daughter?"

"I can't argue with you there. And he did mention there was another reason he was here, but I dismissed it thinking he was just talking about Michael."

Then Ethan asked the question swirling in his brain like a tornado, "What do you think he'd do with her? Do you think he'll hurt her?"

Johnny shook his head. "If anything, my guess is he'll try to regain territory using her has a bargaining tool." Though he tried to minimize the situation, he Honestly didn't know what else to think at this point.

"I don't know mate! He could do a million other things to send a message to Sonny. Something isn't right and I'm not going to wait around until he decides to make contact…who knows what that crazy psycho has in mind." The statement lingered in the air for several long seconds as the gravity of the situation weighed heavily on them.

"Okay. Let me find my father and I'll get back to you. Have you spoken to Sonny, Jason, Lucky or Dante yet?"

"No. I came straight here", Ethan ran his fingers through his hair. Johnny could see his eyes begin to water and Ethan choked back the lump in his throat.

"Give me an hour before you call anyone, okay?", Johnny requested.

Begrudgingly he agreed. After Ethan left, Johnny knew what he had to do…he had to take care of his father once and for all!

Though Kristina was a tiny little thing, she was very strong. She pushed the huge crates underneath the window, slowly so she wouldn't make much noise. A few minutes later, she climbed up the crates, but could barely reach the window standing on her tippy toes. Upon further inspection, she was dismayed to see the window had bars blocking it…there was no way out. Feeling a bit defeated, she climbed down the crates, then shoved them back into the corner just as Anthony strolled in.

"Miss me princess?", he leered.

Kristina didn't answer him but shot him an icy look.

"Brrrr", he shook. "Just got cold in here! Come on now, did you really think you'd be able to escape out the window? I took every precaution princess, there's no way out of here…except with me", he flashed a creepy grin.

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Kristina turned away from him.

"Pouting about it isn't going to help. Now, things will go much smoother if you cooperate and who knows, maybe you'll grow to like me."

"Keep dreaming you psycho!", she retorted.

"Now, now, is that anyway to talk to your finance?" Kristina turned around. The expression of horror didn't escape Anthony. "Awww, are you getting cold feet?", he cooed as though she were a baby.

"I'm not marrying you! You're out of your fucking mind old man! I'll never surrender myself to you!", Kristina shouted.

Suddenly, Anthony's demeanor changed. He reached into the cell and grabbed Kristina's arm before she could walk away! "Look here missy, we are getting married and I am going to do to you, what Sonny did to my daughter!", he snarled through clenched jaw. When he let go, he saw the fear in her eyes. He calmly addressed her as though he never threatened her. "Oh. I'm so sorry princess. I didn't mean to scare you. Sometimes I lose control, but most of the time I'm a gem to have around", he chuckled again. "Well, I'm almost done with preparations. This is gonna be so good!", he danced off to finish putting his plan into motion.

Kristina slumped against the wall as despair seeped in. Alone, with no way out, she prayed Ethan or Johnny or her father….someone would find her before it was too late. Tears welled and she finally let go of how she was feeling.

Meanwhile Johnny had put the word out to his men to alert him if they saw Anthony, though he had a pretty good idea where he would take Kristina. As he cut through the park, he saw his father, pruning the roses near the swings in the dark with a flashlight.

"Where is she you sick bastard!", Johnny angrily demanded as he yanked him up.

"Johnny? What are you talking about", Anthony feigned knowledge and he pulled away from Johnny's grip.

"I know you took Kristina. Where is she?", the loathing emanated from Johnny's eyes.

"I'm just pruning these beautiful roses. You know, I should really ask the park if they have a gardener because these roses haven't pruned for at least 2 months", he rambled in his usual garble.

Johnny yanked him up by the shirt. "Game's over old man! You tell me where she is or…."

"What? You'll kill me John?", Anthony laughed. "Right. You don't have the balls to kill me. You're not as ruthless as Claudia was, but I do admire your loyalty to your friends."

"Claudia? Why bring her into this?", Johnny was suspicious.

"Your sister was a b**ch and deserved what she got, but she went after what she wanted. I admired that about her", the insane mobster rattled off.

"What the f*** are you talking about old man?", Johnny was losing his patience.

"Now, the way I see it's 'an eye for an eye', 'tit for tat'."

Johnny was exasperated. "Spit it out! What are you doing with Kristina?", he grabbed his father's shirt again.

"Okay, okay!", he straightened his shirt after Johnny let go. "Geez! I think it's only right that Sonny learns what it feels like to have his only daughter marry his sworn enemy! Pay back is a b**ch!", Anthony smirked with eyes darkened as if possessed.

"I'm not going to let you get away with this", Johnny warned.

"Well, gotta run John. Lots of things to get ready before tomorrow!"

As the mad man left, Johnny made a call.

Ethan went to the Haunted Star to find Luke in his office. The expression of fear and anxiety didn't escape Luke as he watched Ethan pour a glass of Crown Royal. He gulped it down in one swig, then poured another.

"Rough night at the tables son?", Luke joked. However, he became alarmed when Ethan finally looked at him. "What's wrong?"

"Anthony Zacharra took Kristina!", he announced.

"What? What the hell happened?"

"I'm not sure. All I know is she was supposed to meet me on the docks after work, but never showed. I found her purse near the swings in the park and she's gone….just disappeared!"

"Does Sonny know?", Luke figured.

"Not yet. Went straight to Johnny. He asked me to give him an hour. Why the f*** he wants Kristina is beyond me, other than she's Sonny's only daughter. Johnny said Anthony mentioned something about a big plan that was going to affect Sonny…I don't know what to do", he sorrowfully added then poured himself another drink.

"Well Dodge, when is Johnny supposed to call you?"

Just then his cell rang. Johnny asked to meet him on the docks. "He's got a lead. Please don't say anything to anyone. I'll keep you posted", Ethan added as he took a swig of his drink then left.

All Ethan could think about, was getting to Krissy.

Kristina had fallen asleep after her breakdown. Though she was still asleep, her body began to shake and she woke up in a cold sweat, feeling like there were a million little bugs crawling on her body. She jumped up and screamed but nothing was on her. She couldn't stop shaking and she felt nauseous. Usually when she felt this way, she'd take one of her vitamins, but she didn't have her purse. She sat on the floor, rocking back and forth, knees to her chest. Suddenly she got up and threw up in the corner. She couldn't stop shivering and she felt very weak. What was happening?

About 10 minutes later, Anthony knocked on the cell door. "Knock knock", he sarcastically greeted. "I see you're having a bit of trouble there princess."

"I need my vitamins. Please, I need my purse", she begged.

"Sorry sweetie, I don't have your purse, but I have something else that might take the edge off", he goaded. Kristina just looked at him, as she continued to shake. "By the way, where did you get those 'vitamins'?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but Lisa gave them to me to help calm my nerves and stress", Kristina innocently answered.

"That's how she got you to take these? I'm impressed. Who'd have thought a doctor such as Lisa would pull the ol' switcheroo", he gleefully exclaimed.

"What do you mean?", Kristina meekly asked annoyed.

"Princess, you're hooked on hydro condone."

It took her a minute to process what Anthony was saying. "You mean, narcotics?"

Anthony clapped his hands. "Finally. We have a winner! Ding, ding, ding! You need them in order to maintain, otherwise, you'll go through withdrawals. Obviously, you've already started."

Kristina still couldn't grasp what was going on, but she didn't want to feel that way anymore. "You said you could help me?"

"I have just what you need", he pulled out a bottle of pills from his inside jacket pocket.

"What do you want me to do?", Kristina asked with trepidation.

"First of all, marry me. And then of course…our wedding night…", he flashed a disturbing grin.

Although Kristina wanted to stop the withdrawal symptoms, she wasn't giving in. "No. I'll….manage", she assured.

Anthony shook the bottle in front of her, "You're sure now? I can make it all better." He could see the struggle in Kristina's eyes, between wanting the drugs or continuing with the withdrawals. "Final call princess", he shook the bottle again.

Kristina shook her head, then sat in the corner on the floor, knees to chest rocking back and forth.

"Okay. Well, I'll be back in a little bit…you know, in case you change your mind. I'll have someone bring you a bucket and some paper towel. I wouldn't want you to throw up all over the place", he added.

Kristina had never felt so bad in her life! It seemed the creepy crawlies had subsided for the moment, so she lay down on the cot. It wasn't too long, before she got sick again….how was she going to get out of there?

Ethan met Johnny on the docks. "I know where he is", Johnny reported. "He's using the tunnels underneath the dock."

"How did you find that out?" Ethan was surprised at how quickly he learned of their location.

"I ran into him at the park, pruning rose bushes in the dark! I had one of my men follow him when he left."

"Well, lets go then!" Ethan turned to leave but Johnny stopped him.

"Wait a minute. We need to come up with a plan because if we go in there half-cocked, it could get ugly", Johnny warned.

"I don't care Johnny. All I care about, is getting Krissy away from that maniac!", he shouted.

"Look, I've got schematics of the tunnels underground. I know which direction he entered, so I have a good idea where they are. Let's just map out a few things at Kelly's okay? We're gonna get her back", he assured.

Reluctantly Ethan agreed, so they headed to Kelly's to come up with a plan.

Anthony was at Johnny's penthouse, ordering plane tickets for the next day to Hawaii. They were going first class and he whistled a little tune as he waited for an operator. After making the reservation, he grabbed his bag, then left with a little dance out the door.

Kristina was barely holding it together. She was sweating profusely, shaking and constantly moved trying to get rid of the creepy crawly feeling. She couldn't lay down any more, so slumped in the corner, rocking back and forth. All she could think about, was how Lisa got her hooked on drugs! Something she was against and hadn't expected. She felt stupid, completely naïve and berated herself over and over again that she should have known better. Why would she ever suspect Lisa could do such a thing though? Question was, why did she give them to her in the first place. Then it dawned on her….maybe Lisa was working for Anthony and it was part of their plan! Get her hooked so she'll do anything for a fix! It was diabolical that's for sure and Kristina hoped she'd get through this.

She felt like she was dying, literally and her thoughts suddenly turned to Ethan. Memories flashed through her mind- meeting at Jake's, poker lessons, the day he rescued her, their dance at the wedding and how he was always there for her…she was truly in love with him. Though they had been playing the flirting game for months, she hoped that one day Ethan would love her, the way she loved him. A single tear rolled down her face at the thought of never seeing him again. She prayed she'd get the chance to tell him how she felt…before it was too late!

After reviewing the schematics of the tunnels, Johnny and Ethan cautiously entered the west entrance, underneath the stairwell. It was fairly dark and dank inside, so both used flashlights. Johnny led the way with map in hand as they slowly made their way through the network of tunnels. A few minutes later, they came upon a circular round-a-bout, at the end of the tunnel. As they looked across, they noticed 3 other tunnels, each an equal distance from theirs.

Ethan was a little frustrated. "What now? I thought you said there was only one way to where they were at?"

Johnny looked at the map again, then turned it 90 degrees counter clockwise. "Okay, we need to go this way", he directed.

"Are you sure? It could be any one of these other tunnels."

"I'm sure", Johnny was adamant.

He continued to lead the way and as they rounded a bend to the left, they saw the cell. Upon closer inspection, Ethan's face dropped as he noticed Krissy slumped in the corner, shaking like a leaf.

"Oh my God! Kristina?", he couldn't contain his fear.

She was semi-conscious by the time they got there and she thought she was hallucinating. "Ethan?", she weakly called him as she reached out towards him.

"It's okay sweetie. We're gonna get you out of here", he tried to comfort her.

"Ethan, I got stop shaking…Lisa….the pills….", she couldn't finish the sentence.

"What? Just hang on, okay? Can you do that?" He didn't get a response. "Krissy?"

"Uh, huh", she finally got out.

Ethan turned to Johnny. "We have to get her out of here! Do you see the keys anywhere?", Johnny frantically looked around. "No, but do you know how to pick a lock?" Ethan pulled a pic set from his pocket and handed it to Johnny. He started to work on it.

Ethan went back to Krissy. He was able to go to the side of the cell where he could actually hold her hand through the bars. She was pale as a ghost, sweating profusely and was very cold to the touch.

"You found me", she managed a small smile.

"Of course. I'll always find you luv", he comforted.

Suddenly Kristina started to freak out…get them off of me! Get them off!", she jumped up, batting at invisible bugs. She was jittery and couldn't stop shaking. Ethan had never seen anything like this before and was scared, not knowing what to do.

"You're okay Kristina, there's nothing on you sweetie."

"I'm gonna to throw up", she grabbed the bucket.

Johnny and Ethan glanced at each other, both greatly concerned. Ethan walked over to Johnny.

"Are you almost in? We've got to get her out of there!"

Johnny finally heard the door click and opened the cell door. Both rushed in and Ethan picked Kristina up in his arms, then carried her out of the cell back towards the entrance. She buried her face in his chest and he did his best to give her some warmth. She was shaking uncontrollably. They made it out and Ethan was about to head to GH.

"No!", Kristina protested. She had no intentions of going to the hospital.

"We have to take you to the hospital. You're sick", Ethan explained.

"No! I can't tell my mom….dad….anyone!", she pleaded.

"Tell them what?", Johnny urged her to tell them what was going on.

Kristina managed to explain. "Lisa gave me some vitamins, but they were really narcotics. If my parents find out, they'll be so upset. I don't want anyone to know!"

"But what if you're in real danger Kristina, you need to see a doctor", Ethan argued.

"Ethan is right", Johnny agreed.

"No! Please. Just take me anywhere but there", she pleaded again. "I have to throw up!" Ethan put her down and she threw up over the side of the railing.

"What do you think?", Ethan asked Johnny.

"Well, let's take her to the penthouse and see how she is by morning", he offered.

Kristina could barely stand, so Ethan carried her to the car, then into the penthouse.

Anthony whistled the wedding march as he walked down the tunnel with a garment bag, towards the cell and began to sing as he rounded the corner.

"Here comes the bride, all dressed in…." He stopped short, "No, no, no, no, no, no! Dammit!", he threw the bag on the floor, slammed his fist into the stone wall! Then his face turned red and he screamed at the top of his lungs, "Johnny! You screwed me over for the last time!"

Then he stormed out, ready to take care of his little problem.

Johnny gave Ethan the keys to his penthouse, while he went looking for his father. As he rounded the corner near the underground tunnels, he spotted Anthony coming out from underneath the docks. He aggressively grabbed Anthony by the arm.

"You son of a b**ch!", Johnny yelled in his face.

Anthony turned around like nothing was going on. "Now that's not a very nice way to talk to your father. Kids just don't have any respect for their elders these days", he rambled on. "Didn't I teach you better?"

Johnny grabbed him by the shirt, "Cut the crap! I know you took Kristina! You are one suck motherf****, you know that?" Johnny couldn't contain his anger, but finally let go of him.

Anthony just chuckled in his response as he turned to leave.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Johnny grabbed at him again but it was his father's turn. Anthony yanked Johnny's arm behind his back so quick, he didn't have time to react.

"Listen here boy! I will do what I want to do. Sonny has to get what's coming to him. I'll never stop and soon, Kristina will be mine! You get in my way again, I'll have to take you down like that dog that you are!", he growled in a sinister tone pushing Johnny back upon letting go.

As Anthony walked away, Johnny made a plan of his own…..

"I can't stop…I'm…c-c-cold", Kristina barely managed to get out.

Ethan put her on the couch with a blanket and started a fire. He sat down next to her and pulled her close to him. His embrace felt so warm to Kristina and she leaned into his chest, burying herself in his protective cocoon. After a few moments, she stopped shivering and drifted off to sleep.

Ethan was scared he wouldn't be able to help her through this and wondered if it was the best idea to keep it from Alexis and Sonny. He glanced down and looked at her. She was barely visible underneath the blanket. He thought back to the bright, smart, beautiful young woman Kristina was and couldn't help but see she was just a shell of her former self. It broke his heart and then it happened. As he sat watching her sleep, flashes of her rippled through his mind so fast, it was like a lightening bolt when he finally realized he loved her. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, afraid he might never get the same Krissy back he knew he loved….

Johnny entered the penthouse and Ethan carefully extricated himself from Kristina. They went into the kitchen to talk.

"How is she?"

"Sleeping for the moment. This is really bad. Maybe we should at least call Alexis. What do you think?" Ethan was clearly worried that her condition could deteriorate.

Johnny could see the pain in Ethan's eyes and also the love he always knew he had for her. "Has she thrown up again?"

"Not since we've been back, but she's still sweating, though she's cold", he described.

"Let's see how she is when she wakes up. We'll go from there", Johnny suggested as he patted Ethan on the back.

"Okay. So, did you find your father?"

"Yeah. Son of a b**ch plans to marry Kristina, like Sonny married Claudia, as some kind of pay back! He's not going to give up and admitted he'll go after her again", Johnny relayed with sheer hate in his voice.

"You have to take care of this Johnny. What are you going to do?"

"Don't worry about it. Just take care of Kristina and I'll let you know when it's taken care of", Johnny stated.

Ethan knew exactly what Johnny meant by 'taken care of'. Though normally he'd advise against it, all bets were off after Anthony involved Kristina in his sick little game. He deserved what was coming. Johnny grabbed an extra gun from underneath his cabinet, made sure it was loaded, then gave Ethan a knowing glance upon leaving.

Suddenly, Kristina started moving around again and jumped up. She tried to 'take off' the bugs crawling up her arm and shrieked, "Get them off of me! Get them off!" Sheer panic took control of her, as she continued to swat at the invisible.

Ethan took hold of her arms, "There's nothing there. You're okay", he assured. He sat her on the couch again.

Kristina continued to shake, also moving her arms and legs as though she were feeling the pricks of a million needles puncturing her entire body. After a few minutes, they subsided again. She had broken out in a cold sweat, though shivering, so Ethan wrapped her up in the blanket again. He finally got her to calm down, but decided things were too out of control and quietly made a call…..

Johnny knew Anthony would return to the tunnels, so he had 3 of his men, plus himself staking out the area. About an hour later, he finally emerged leaving the park. One of his men alerted Johnny. As Anthony got to within 5 feet of the entrance, a single shot rang out under the blanket of darkness.

It had been a harrowing night. Kristina finally seemed to be resting comfortably, though Ethan knew she was no where near past the withdrawals. There was a knock on the door. It was Alexis.

"How is she?", she immediately went over to the couch.

"Resting...finally", he whispered. "She just drifted back to sleep about 45 minutes ago.

Alexis motioned for him to follow her to the kitchen so they could talk. "What the hell happened?"

Ethan didn't miss the fear in her voice. He relayed the entire story, including the fact that Johnny was going to take care of things.

"Why didn't you call me when she went missing?", she was furious.

"I'm sorry. She pleaded with us and I thought she'd be okay, but I know she needs more help than I can give her. I promised her I wouldn't call you….can you just get her to GH?" Alexis noticed Ethan swallow hard, choking back the tears.

"I don't really want to disturb her right now if she's finally getting some rest. I'll call Dr. Weber and see if he'll come to look at her", she suggested as an alternative.

"Okay. I'm sorry Alexis. I just….", he began to apologize.

"I understand. I'm glad you called me", Alexis added as she reached out and squeezed his hand. "Thank you. I don't know what she'd have done without you."

"What about Sonny? He's not going to take this lightly. His biggest enemy kidnapped his daughter!"

Alexis let out a huge sigh. "I think it's best that Sonny doesn't know about this yet. This is going to start a mob war, you realize that don't you? It's going to get bad before it gets any better."

"I know. Hopefully Johnny's plan will work so maybe we can avoid it." Ethan prayed that would be the case, but knowing how Sonny operated, he knew it would most likely not make a difference if Johnny took care of his father.

Sirens filled the cool summer night air and Johnny silently watched from his vantage point behind several crates next to a warehouse south of the docks. He waited until he got confirmation, then headed back to the penthouse.

About an hour after Alexis arrived, Kristina woke up and immediately threw up in the pot Ethan had given her earlier. It wasn't until she finished, that she realized Alexis was the one soothingly rubbing her back. She slowly laid back on the couch, then looked at her mother.

"I'm sorry mom", she wept.

"Shhhh. It's okay honey. Everything is going to be okay. Dr. Weber is on his way to check you out", she informed.

Kristina glanced at Ethan, who nodded, then he left to give Alexis time to talk to her alone.

"Ethan told me what happened. Are you okay?"

"Other than the fact I'm a complete idiot! I thought Lisa was my friend and helping me when she gave me those vitamins. I guess they were narcotics and now….", her voice trailed and she began to get the creepy crawlies again. She jumped up, couldn't stop moving around.

Alexis was surprised at how pale and frail her daughter looked. She didn't know what to do and tried to get Kristina to sit back down.

"I…can't…take…this!", Kristina screamed!

Ethan ran out of the kitchen after hearing this. Both Alexis and Ethan were at a loss as to what to do for her. They could only stand by helplessly until the feeling faded again. After a few minutes, she finally sat back on the couch. There was a knock at the door and Ethan opened it to find Dr. Weber.

"Alexis called me", he announced.

Ethan ushered him inside. "We're glad to see you", Ethan added.

"What's going on?"

Alexis and Ethan filled him in, then Alexis and Steve helped Kristina upstairs to the guest room so he could look at her. Ethan was beside himself. He poured a huge Crown Royal and downed it in a single gulp, then filled his glass again. All he could think about was Krissy. The events of the past 24 hours played in his mind like a mini-movie- it was a nightmare! Anger welled, bubbling to the surface as he thought about what Anthony had planned for Krissy. Knowing Kristina was in good hands, Ethan decided to check in with Johnny because he wanted to be sure that evil psycho wouldn't live to see another day!

Ethan was just approaching Kelly's when he saw Johnny. "Hey, what happened?", Ethan wanted to know.

Johnny looked around, "Not here." They went to the Haunted Star, into Luke's office. The Star was closed that night and Luke had gone home.

"What happened? Did you get him?"

The question lingered in the air for several long seconds, until Johnny finally answered. "It's done."

Ethan offered a scotch to Johnny, which he took. "How?" Ethan wanted more details.

"It's better you don't know anything. I'm sure you'll be questioned by the police and I don't want to put you in jeopardy."

"What are you going to tell them?"

"I'm just going to tell them I was in the city for the evening. I've got it covered", he assured. "How's Kristina?"

"Not good. She was up all night, throwing up, feeling like she had bugs crawling on her….I finally called Alexis", he sorrowfully relayed. "Dr. Weber is at the penthouse now looking at her."

"Good. I know you didn't want to do that, but it was the right call", Johnny agreed.

"She's just so….broken." Ethan poured himself another drink. "I can't even see the beautiful, funny, smart, caring young woman anymore. I hope Dr. Weber can help her through this."

Johnny knew Ethan had feelings for Kristina for a long time. "You love her don't you?"

Ethan's face got flushed a little bit, to have his feelings been exposed. After a moment, he admitted his feelings. "I don't know when or how it happened mate, but after seeing her go through this…I couldn't imagine my life without her in it. It's that simple."

"She loves you too you know?", Johnny added with a sly grin.

Ethan couldn't help but smile. "Did I tell you what she said at Sonny & Brenda's wedding?"

"No. What?"

"That she was going to marry me someday. I laughed, but I think that somewhere deep down in my soul, I knew she was right."

Johnny patted him on the back. "You're whipped now buddy!", he teased.

"Very funny. I haven't told her yet and she needs to get through this withdrawal stuff", Ethan reminded though his face lit up.

"Let's get back to the penthouse and see how she's doing", Johnny suggested.

Kristina was back downstairs on the couch, while Dr. Weber spoke to Alexis. "I've given her something to counter-act the side effects of the withdrawals, as well as nausea medication. If she spikes a fever, get her to GH. I think the worst is almost over. How long was she taking the pills?"

"I'm not sure", Alexis glanced at Kristina who weakly stated it had been about 6 weeks.

"Luckily you weren't on them too long, so you should recover fairly quickly. However, I am recommending rehab for you after the withdrawals subside", he added.

"I don't need rehab", Kristina rejected the notion. "I didn't choose to take those narcotics."

"Well, you thought you needed something to help with stress and anxiety, so although you weren't consciously taking them the ideology is still there. It's a 30 day program at GH. I'll leave an order so you can make an appointment", he pointedly stated.

"Thanks Steve. I really appreciate you coming", Alexis walked him to the door.

As Steve left, Ethan and Johnny arrived. Alexis filled them in, then she and Johnny left Ethan and Kristina alone. Ethan sat on the couch and put his arm around her. She leaned in and laid her head on his shoulder.

"How are you luv?"

"Better, I think. Dr. Weber gave me something for the side effects and it seems to be helping. He said the worst of it is probably over since I wasn't taking the pills very long", she gave him the run down.

"Good. I was so scared when you disappeared and I didn't know what I was going to do if anything….", his voice trailed as he pushed back the lump in his throat. After a moment he continued, "If you'd have died without ever knowing how I felt, I would never forgive myself. I know this isn't really the best time, but I want you to know…..I love you Krissy. I don't know when I fell in love with you…maybe I've always loved you….I just know I couldn't live my life without you in it."

Kristina could see the love in his eyes…finally. "But you saved me…you always save me", she smiled.

"And I always will." He leaned in and softly gave her a kiss, then Krissy nestled in his arms and drifted off to sleep.


End file.
